BPJPH: United States Has Strict Halal Certification Standards

The head of the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH), Ahmad Haikal Hasan, has said the United States possesses a rigorous halal certification ecosystem. He urged Indonesian consumers not to worry about imported US products bearing halal labels issued by American authorities.

According to Haikal, the US has maintained strict regulations for halal products since 1974, when the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA) was established. “I am not defending America. America is actually stricter when it comes to halal matters because they have been enforcing halal standards since 1974,” Haikal said in a written statement on Tuesday, 24 February 2026.

Haikal stated that US halal bodies are already recognised and cooperate with many countries, including Indonesia. Halal certification from trusted American institutions, he said, is also acknowledged by BPJPH as Indonesia’s halal authority.

The statement from BPJPH was issued in response to reports that US products would no longer require halal labels to enter Indonesia following the signing of a trade agreement by President Prabowo Subianto and US President Donald Trump last week. Haikal dismissed those reports as false. “The information circulating among the public that American products entering Indonesia do not need halal labels is not true,” he said.

Haikal maintained that halal certification for imported US products would comply with Indonesian regulations and be carried out transparently. “Do not worry — when it comes to halal matters, nothing is being hidden or concealed. Nothing is being violated,” he said.

According to Haikal, the halal labelling provisions between Indonesia and the US are set out in a Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). The MRA represents a mutual acknowledgement of halal standards between BPJPH and overseas halal bodies in the United States. Haikal noted that the agreement had been in effect before the Indonesia-US trade pact was signed last week.

Haikal explained that once halal authorities in the US have issued a halal label, Indonesia does not need to re-examine the halal status of the product. “It is only registered; it is not processed from scratch,” he said.

The governments of Indonesia and the United States officially signed a reciprocal trade agreement in Washington D.C. on Thursday, 19 February 2026. The trade pact addressed import tariffs and the removal of trade barriers and was signed by Prabowo Subianto and Donald Trump.

Following the agreement, Indonesia granted halal certification exemptions for a number of US products entering the country, including cosmetics, medical devices, and manufactured goods. Nevertheless, cosmetic and medical device products remain obliged to obtain distribution permits from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) before they can be marketed in Indonesia.